An Ojo Caliente man was killed on N.M. 111 Saturday evening when his motorcycle struck a large dog outside a church in La Madera, said a Rio Arriba County sheriff's spokesman.

Spokesman Jake Arnold said the cyclist, George Clements, 34, died at the scene of massive head and neck injuries after he was thrown from the motorcycle. He was not wearing a helmet.

Witnesses told Deputy Paula Archuleta that the dog, a blue heeler and German shepherd mix, had been hanging around the church yard, perhaps waiting for its owner. The animal suffered severe injuries and was later euthanized at a veterinary clinic in Santa Fe, Arnold said.

Clements was heading southeast toward Ojo Caliente, about five miles away, when he rounded a curve and struck the dog, witnesses said.